Goal 66. Workout 3x/week: A start

So as you guys know my latest goal that I am tackling is working out 3x/week. Which is actually a huge goal in its own right, and hopefully will help me get on track to my other goal of losing 20 lbs. Last week I started off with a great start, successfully working out 3 times and feeling pretty great. However, for this week, this morning's workout was my first. Which means I can only hope to manage two. Disappointing.

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Here are some of my barriers to working out and how I am learning to manage them. Hopefully you will find something similar that you experience and perhaps you can give me some suggestions!

1. Physical fatigue & soreness - I honestly haven't worked out at all in the 6 months prior to last week. This is mostly due to a new job that has involved as lot more physical labour and subsequent injuries. Before I started my workout I went to my family doctor, a physiotherapist, had massage therapy, and saw an exercise therapist. This means two things for me:
       1. I am sure that I am as healthy as I can be.
       2. I have no excuse not to exercise, as it is the only thing that can help now.
I have also been talking to some ladies at work who has lost a significant amount of weight in the last year and one of them was really honest and just said "when I first started, I took a lot of advil." For me at lot is 200mg (2 tabs), which I take in the mornings when needed, about 2 times per week. More than that, and I would probably have an injury and need to take some rest.

2. What to do? - I am no personal trainer. But honestly, there is no lack of information available. Internet, television and good 'ol books are chock full of exercise information. So its no longer about just finding the information, its about filtering the information so that you are doing what your body needs more, and at an appropriate level. Here is where I am glad I got to go to the exercise therapist. She gave me a list of stretches to do, based on my body and how I was feeling. Since I told her that I had a treadmill she gave me instructions for how to actually use it (what? after not working out for 6 months I can leap right into high intensity hills for 45 minutes? shocker!). She also gave me a resistance band and I have added large soup cans as weights. This is all that I have, and therefore all I can use. Well except for different height tables, walls and chairs. You can do a lot with these things.

3. Ok, so is the stretches and walking enough? - Actually I have added some strength exercises, which I found on the internet. I simply focus on one body part (arms, core, back, legs) after my walking. I am starting slow, with exercises I have done in the past (trainers at gyms, workout routines I have done before, my old gym teacher). If something doesn't feel right, or I can't get myself into the right position I do the best I can. Sometimes I can't get as deep into the move as I would like so I look for ways to mimic the exercise (such as resting my foot on a table during a quad stretch vs. holding my foot with my hand). Or I just skip the exercise for now. Pushing myself too hard can result in injury.

4. So how do I know this little amount is working? - Because I can feel it. I have the worst feeling while I am exercising. I feel like I am ripping my body apart and I am never going to recover, but let me tell you, last week when I was exercising 3 times I actually felt great. I had more energy, and actually wanted to do stuff. This week? Well I didn't not exercise on Monday or Tuesday because I had too much energy.

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I hope that I'll be able to keep those good feelings up as I keep going this month, and try to keep on exercising. My secret weapon = good tv shows while doing it! It really helps to motivate me and keep me distracted from staring at the clock. And of course good music always helps everything.